Scale.



J. FOERST.

SCALE.

APPLICATION FILED MAB-.28. 1911.

Patented Mar. 5, 1912.

WITNESSES COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH (JO-,WASHINGTDN, n. L

nrrEn STATES PATENT OFFICE. 8'

JOHN FOERST, OF NEWARK, NEW JERSEY.

SCALE.

[0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JOHN F onns'r, a citizen of the United States, residing at Newark, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, have invented certain Improvements in Scales, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in that class of scales which are commonly employed in retail butchers shops for weighing the pieces of meat, etc., which are ordered by customers.

The objects of the invention are to support such scales upon a counter firmly and securely and yet occupy but a small amount of the surface area of the counter; to thus economize counter surface, and enable such scales to be employed upon the counter without taking up too much of the room necessary for the display of goods and the like; to provide such supporting means which shall be adjustable to different sizes of the counters, and by which the scales can be removably mounted; to provide such a support which shall enable the scales to be leveled to be brought into proper position for weighing; to secure a simple and strong construction, which can be easily cleaned and kept in sanitary condition, and to obtain other advantages and results as may be brought out in the following description.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, in which like numerals of reference indicate the same parts throughout the several figures, Figure 1 is a front elevation of a scales mounted on my improved bas c; Fig. 2 is a perspective view of said base looking from the rear of the scale; Fig. 8 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view of the base, taken on line AA of Fig. l, and Fig. 4. is a vertical transverse section of the same taken on line B, B of Fig. 3.

In said drawings 1 indicates the frame of a scales supporting in any ordinary manner the cylinder 2 having a registering dial 3, connecting bar 4, scale-pan 5, and other parts commonly found in scales of this class. In carrying out my invention, the said frame 1 tapers downwardly inward at the opposite sides of its lower part to a rib 6. This rib projects downwardly and preferably has its outer edge thickened and rounded upon the arc of a circle in transverse section, as

clearly shown in the drawings. This rib extends longitudinally and centrally of the scales, and preferably for substantially the Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed March 28, 1911.

Patented Mar. 5, 1912.

Serial No. 617,336.

entire length thereof, providing a narrow support for the scales so as to take up little space upon the counter and allow the surface thereof to be employed for other purposes. To this end, the said rib 6 is received in a correspondingly shaped groove 19 of a narrow elongated base piece 8, the sides 7 of said groove terminating sufficiently short of the web 20 of the rib to allow said rib to turn in said groove 19. The rib 6 can thus he slid into the groove 19 from either end of the base piece 8 and when therein will support the scales, and at the same time allow tipping thereof in a sidewise direction to level the same. Set screws 16' are provided in the walls 7 of the base piece to clamp the rib 6 in fixed relation to said walls when desired. The said base piece 8 may be secured in fixed posit-ion upon a counter by any suitable means, but I prefer to provide means as next described for attaching it to a counter without damaging the top thereof. Said means consists of diverging hooks 9 extending downwardly from one end of the base piece 8 and adapted to hook downwardly over and inwardly under the outer edge of the counter, as shown, said hooks preferably having thumb screws 13 in their returned ends adapted to firmly engage the under side of said counter. Said attaching means further consist in a bar 10 which is slidably adjustable in a slot 11 extending longitudinally of the bottom of the base piece 8, and having undercut side walls. The bar 10 is formed at its end opposite to that which slides in the slot 11 into a downwardly extending hook 12 adapted to engage the edge of the counter and be clamped to said edge by a thumb screw 14; similar to the hooks 9 described. The bar 10 fits nicely in the slot 11, with the least possible lost motion, and preferably a set screw 15 is provided in the bottom of the groove 19 to lock the bar against sliding with respect to the base piece when adjusted to fit a given counter.

To install the scales upon a butchers counter 18, the base piece 8 is placed on the counter so that the hook 9 will engage the edge of the counter, and after having made sure that the base piece is in proper transverse relation to the counter, the thumb screws 18 are turned tight. The bar 10 is then pushed into the slot 11 until the hook 12 engages the other edge of the counter, when the thumb screw 14 is tightened. The

set screw 15 is then tightened to lock the base piece 8 on bar '10 in rigid relation. Having thus securely fastened the attaching means to the counter, the rib 6 of the scale frame is slid endwise into the groove 19 to desired position, and after the scales are brought to stand vertically, the set screws 16 are tightened in their seats 17. The

scales-are then firmly and securely mounted on the counter and yet the surface of said counter is comparatively unobstructed and can be occupied for the display of goods or the like right up to the sides of the base piece 8 and bar 10. 7

Various modifications in the detail construction of my improved scales may be employed without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, and I therefore do not wish to be understood as limiting myself herein, except as the state of the art may require.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim is:

1: In a weighing scales, the combination of a frame having at its bottom a single downwardly projecting rib extending from end to end of the scales, and a base piece, said rib and base piece having one a lateral thickened edge and the other a groove adapted to receive said thickened edge, said thickened edge adapted to slide longitudinally in said groove and to turn or twist therein, means for securing said base to a counter or the like, and means for clamping said base piece and rib against relative movement.

2. In a weighing scales, the combination of a frame having at the bottom a longitudinal downwardly projecting rib, a base piece, said rib and base piece having one of its outer edges thickened and rounded upon an arc of a circle in cross section and the other having a groove adapted to receive said rib, means for securing said base piece to a counter or the like, and means for clamping said base piece and rib against relative move ment.

3. In a weighing scales, the combination of a frame having at its bottom a longitudinal downwardly projecting rib, with its outer edge thickened and rounded upon the arc of a circle in cross section, a base piece having a groove adapted to receive said rib, means for securing said base piece to a counter or the like, and means for clamping said base piece and rib against relative move ment.

4. In a weighing scales, the combination with a frame having at its bottom a longitudinaldownwardly projecting rib, a base piece having a groove adapted to receive said rib and also provided with a slideway extending longitudinally of itself, a bar en'- tering said slide way and adjustable with re spect to the base piece, and means upon the opposite ends of said base piece and bar for engaging the opposite edges of a counter or the like.

5. In a weighing scales, the combination of a frame having at its bottom a longitudinal downwardly projecting rib with its outer edge thickened and rounded upon the arc of a circle in cross section, a base piece having a groove adapted to receive said rib, and also having in its bottom a slideway with undercut walls, set screws working through the side walls of said groove against said rib, a bar entering said slideway and slidably fitting the same, a set screw working through the bottom of said groove against said bar, and means upon the opposite ends of said base piece and bar for engaging the opposite edges of a counter or the like.

JOHN FOERST.

Witnesses:

CORNELIUS ZABRISKIE, RUssELL M. EVERETT.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

